KFC Double Down Nutrition Information Concerns Government Officials, But Should It?
[KFC's Double Down Chicken Sandwich has created some waves in Canada. We know that it can't be that nutritious, but does it deserve such a bad rap?...]
After a successful campaign in the United States, KFC’s infamous Double Down sandwich has made its way to Canada. The sale of the Double Down in the United States exploded earlier this year making it the most successful sandwich in KFC history, tallying more than 10 million dollars in sales, in the first month alone. KFC management had some reservations however, about introducing the Double Down to Canadian consumers. Company officials feared that a supposedly “health conscious” country might not devour the Double Down quite like their patrons in the USA, and that they might encounter government resistance. KFC eventually decided to go ahead and enter the Canadian market on the condition that the Double Down would only be offered for a limited time (one month), to gauge consumer response. How well did the Double Down sell in its first few weeks in Canada? Phenomenal, to say the least.
How Bad Is The Double Down?
Check out this promo for the Double Down.
[These tasty sandwiches pack up to 540 calories, comprised of 32 grams of fat and up to 1720 mg of sodium]
Health Canada’s daily recommended intake of sodium is approximately 1500 mg, which has caused Health Promotion Minister Margarett Best to comment that the government may “look to review” the sale of the Double Down sandwich; a comment which she later retracted instead stating that consumers should have the right make their own food choices. This begs the question.
What role should government have in deciding which foods are available to consumers?
To pick on the Double Down is laughable; considering it’s nutritional value is comparable to the McDonald’s Big Mac, and Burger King’s Whopper, however Health watch dogs are on the loose in most countries recently. Regulations seem to be trendy thing, and this is happening in my school as well. We have attempted to restrict the availability of unhealthy foods, as a means to produce healthier students. These measures include a requirement for our cafeteria to stock more healthy food options, but also place restrictions on total calories per snack in the vending machines. We are no longer allowed to give out candy on Halloween either! That should do the trick!
Will these measures produce healthier students in the end?
Would prohibiting the sale of KFC’s Double Down sandwich solve the obesity epidemic? I think we know the answer.
I would agree that there is a portion of the population not educated enough to make sound nutrition decisions, however that is an extremely small percentage. To blame fast food for our problem is absurd. We are born free, we have a choice, but some of us make the wrong choices…repeatedly. We can’t just ban anything we deem to be unhealthy, because anything in the right quantities could be considered unhealthy. What is the answer then?
Education Is Power
We need to make people aware, educate our families, and friends about healthy choices. Showing them what healthy people look like, and modeling how healthy people act are ways I’m trying to do my part. While I wouldn’t eat the Double Down everyday, I don’t think trying it will kill me. A balanced approach to nutrition is important, and recognizing that we can’t be perfect all the time is vital to achieving our goals. So if you want to try the Double Down, go ahead, just don’t make a habit it of it! The reason I am able to eat the double down and similar items with no remorse is because of the way I eat. I am a big supporter of Eat Stop Eat, and I know of other people who have had success with the Warrior Diet, both of which promote intermittent fasting. If your are interested in being able to eat big greasy meals without compromising your body weight goals, then I suggest you check out this article at fitness black book comparing the two popular diets.
KFC Double Down Could Be Here To Stay
In its first two weeks 350,000 Double Down sandwiches were sold in Canada, which exceeded expectations. While sales of fast food is not the best way to determine the health of a country, it appears that Canadians are just as guilty of fast food gluttony as Americans. I think it is safe to say the Double Down is here to stay, and I just might try one too! On second thought, I think I can make my own Double Down at home, hold the sodium!
UPDATE: Looks like I will have to head south to try the Double Down. Even though 1 million Double Down sandwiches were sold in Canada in one month, KFC is dropping it from the menu…. for now.
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At least they got rid of the white bread, which has practically no nutritional value!
I don’t understand the fuss with this sandwich. Like you said, just don’t eat it every day, like a Big Mac, Whopper or pretty much anything at a restaurant (it’s all processed crap, isn’t it!). As long as you’re living a healthy lifestyle, little indulgences like this aren’t going to hurt you. If anything, they’re necessary!
Brock, Thanks for leaving a comment. Good point about the white bread. If it wasn’t for the occasional indulgence of my mothers garlic bread, I might never eat the stuff again! All processed food is bad anyway, if one item has a few more calories is doesn’t really make much of a difference.
I totally agree that you need those mental breaks, and occasional indulgences to succeed in the end.
Jordan
Can’t wait till it gets to the UK!
Seriously though I can hardly see how this is any worse than any other fast food. In fact the real problem is that its probably on a par with what most families are sitting down to for their regular meals every single day. Methinks thats where the real danger is.
Its frightening how little people seem to know about this stuff nowadays. Though I do sometimes wonder if maybe we all really know what we need to know, its just the DOING it that is the problem. Do you find that the kids at your school are actually choosing the healthy option offered?
Really interesting post anyway
Michael
Michael,
Most people can tell what is healthy and what is not, but putting that into action is much more difficult. The idea of providing healthy choices at school is great, but I think that it is a losing venture at this point. The real winner at the moment is the pizza joint down the street. I think that most people, not just kids, will find a way to get what they want. If they want the greasy food, they will find it. We will never eliminate it, and I think we would be better off putting our resources towards educating, and promoting healthy living, rather than restricting the so called “bad foods” that are to blame for our obesity problem. Making healthy eating a cool choice instead of forcing people to do it, is a better approach I feel.
Jordan
Jordan
OMG looks unreal hasn’t hit Australia yet but it wont be long we tend to follow the US. Unfortunately it will be a hit here too.
I’m over it a bit it looks up there with the Big Mac, and probably the cost of it and convinence will outweigh healthy foods.
The gov’t should get involved not so much about stopping it but helping healthy alternatives have a high profile, education or be more affordable and attractive etc.
But eat it once and awhile wont kill anyone but based on history its the whole picture that’s the problem.
Raymond,
I think that is a great idea. Put the money into education giving healthy choices a high profile. I maintain that even though there is a price discrepancy between healthy and less healthy foods, it is not that black and white. The most nutrient dense foods are more expensive, and the quick carbs are cheap. When people chose to eat nutrient dense foods however, they end up eating fewer calories. I think that true healthy eating may be slightly more expensive, but not to the extent that others have claimed.
Interesting article, especially the comparison between some of the other products available v. the Double Down. When it comes to things like fast food and those choices that are unhealthy, what are your views on something like the poorly named “Fat Tax” that was mulled over a couple of years ago in Ontario? I mean, if you want to address the long term health concerns of a culture of over-indulgence, isn’t this a good approach? Just curious…
I think it’s great though to restrict what’s available in schools…and I know Jamie Oliver has really taken up the cause for that in the UK and even the US. You can’t watch everything that kids eat, so restricting the choices isn’t so bad. I remember in high school it was poutine and pop almost every lunch for some people.
And a thought for a future post: I’m finding that I’m really stiff and straining some tough areas to have heal like my hip-flexors, would yoga help? and if so, how would a guy get into it comfortably? Thanks!
Mark,
I think the “fat tax” may deter some people from eating poorly, but again, which foods will be taxed? Is it fair to make people pay more for so called “unhealthy food” even if they don’t eat it that often? When our government started taxing cigarettes more heavily that didn’t stop people from smoking. Smoking rates have declined over time, but for different reasons. Smoking is not glamorized as much as it used to be, especially in the media. There has been a philosophical change in the way children view smoking cigarettes. What used to be a cool habit associated with the “in crowd” is now looked at generally as “a dirty habit” as many of my students have described it. This is the same approach that I think we should take regarding healthy eating.
As for restricting food choices in school, I will agree that in early childhood this may be a great approach. When children are young they may not be as picky and choosy, nor have an elegance to a particular type of food. My major concern is that when people are “forced” to do something, especially teenagers they will ultimately revolt.
I think it is a much better approach to have them chose the healthy option willingly. It may take years for that change to occur, but when you have people wanting to make that change by selecting healthy foods on their own accord then we will have made some progress.
Jamie Oliver can be an asset because of his celebrity status, and that in itself may move us towards progress more than the food he puts in schools. Students will buy in to the program, because of the celebrity attached! Let’s make healthy eating cool. That, I believe is a great way to start.
I will write something about yoga for men in the future. Being a hockey player lends itself to tight, tight hamstrings, because of our overdeveloped quadriceps muscles. I tried yoga to provide more flexibility and it helped me!
Jordan
Great topic Jordan,
I think you are absolutely right here. People should have the choice whether or not they want to eat this thing containing a chicken-like substance, but it’s educating people that will really make the difference. I know when I first started eating healthy I was really angry to discover that so many foods I considered to be just normal everyday foods where actually really bad for my health! And now when I see unhealthy, overweight or run down looking people in the grocery store buying this stuff I feel angry, not at them, but at the fact that they just don’t realize how bad this “normal” stuff is.
I think if people knew just how awful not only this KFC thing is, but regular foods like super white bread, deli meats, soft drinks, they would question consuming them on such a regular basis. Anything in moderation is fine, it’s the stuff we eat all the time that’s causing the most damage.
Ok, rant over, LOL.
Great topic Jordan
David,
You touch on a key issue, and the major reason why I think I was overweight to begin with. I am with you on the white bread, and other seemingly ordinary foods that are making our society obese. Some people just don’t know the damaged that is caused by the regular consumption of white bread, deli meats, soft drinks and other “staples” in the North American diet! I agree that moderation is the key, but I think that some people don’t know what to moderate, like you mentioned. Your rants are welcome anytime!
Jordan
Nice article.
Times like this when my political views clash with my health views. But politics nearly always wins for me.
I believe in small government to a point where we are free to do as we wish until it infringes upon others rights. When it comes to food, tobacco, alcohol, ect… people should know the risks, and those industries shouldn’t be hurt because of excessive governmental regulation.
Other larger things such as agriculture (ie Monsanto) should have governmental regulation.
The fact is people need to learn to become more self-dependent and learn how to really develop themselves. At-least enough to know that fast food has negative drawbacks. Thanks for the article Jordan. Nice one.
Ahmed,
Political views aside, I think that people need to be responsible for their own actions. There are a small percentage of all populations that require the basic care and helping hand of the government in order to live a fruitful life, but this is an extremely small group. Everyone else needs to be responsible for their own actions. We should be conscious of what we consume, even when the government is promoting something (like healthy check food labels). We can’t just trust government, like we can’t trust politicians, or anyone else for that matter.
We need to make sound, informed decisions. There is nothing worse than people blaming others for their problems. When we look back at the poor decisions we made, we usually realize that the only people to blame are ourselves (for the most part).
As an educated society we need to do our own homework! Or go online to get the answers, of which there are many great sources (like your website, and others that comment here).
Jordan
I didn’t have the opportunity to jump on the Double Down bandwagon. In some ways it looks tasty, in others, it disgusts me. However, everyone deserves to make their own nutritional choices. If they want to cut years off their lives, so be it. Of course, that’s only for people who regularly down this…for those who just have it as a treat, no biggie in my opinion. I can’t imagine gov’t regulation would help the obesity epidemic. I don’t recall prohibition helping to reduce alcohol consumption.
Dave,
Thanks for referring to the ineffectiveness of prohibition. I was going to mention it in my article, but that would have started another rant. I agree that forcing people to act a certain way may work at first, but eventually the people will win, and get what they want. The idea is to educate them, and leave them wanting the right things, in this case healthy food.
Jordan
Jordan,
I actually like the Double Down. I think it gets a bad rap unfairly. 540 calories is nothing compared to some other fast food burgers that are pushing 1,000 or more.
Alykhan
Alykhan,
I agree, there are so many ways to consume lots of calories at one sitting. The Double Down is no worse than other fast food meals. I lost my chance though! It is no longer being sold in Canada! I’ll have to wait until I head south.
Hi Jordan
Excellent web site!
It is nice to see an informative and educational site like this. Can I share it on Facebook to help promote it. I know health places like the Y and others would appreciate it too as I see by the many comments from all over.
Well done, Jordan.
If anyone is trying to find weight watcher’s facts, I found the perfect source. I found everything on this site for calories, fat, carbs, etc., is tracked and calculated. It’s simple to use, and adds up all the calories, so it’s easy to see what your eating. The site is fastfood.com, I hope is helps you like it helps me!
Thanks Sheridan,
I like the calculator. I will probably help some people!
I would reccomend just staying away from fast food for the most part though.
Thanks
Jordan